


Moonacre One Shots

by TheNorthernBastard



Category: The Secret of Moonacre (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25777288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNorthernBastard/pseuds/TheNorthernBastard
Summary: For those of you who are fans of the Secret of Moonacre. This is a series of one shots of AU stories, what could have beens or possible ideas for sequels after the movie.(Warning: contains strong language, upsetting scenes, violence and sexual references)
Relationships: Maria Merryweather/Robin de Noir
Kudos: 15





	1. Divergent

Wincing, Maria stepped out onto the fire escape. She was still sore from the week's activities. Her ribs were still aching.

She walked towards the young man, who stood only a few feet away. There was no denying that he was attractive, slightly shaggy hair and a finely shaped face, strong muscled arms slightly straining against his tee-shirt.

Her palms felt clammy and hot and she wrapped her fingers around the iron rail.

Out of the corner of his eye, Robin watched her. Small, skinny but strong. And beautiful, oh so beautiful. Her arms and legs were thin but still lightly toned that you could see they were muscled. A tiny waist and firm hips.

There was so much more to her than what the eye beheld. There was no denying that she did belong in Dauntless. She may have looked prim and proper when he first wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her from the net, the fact that she was the first jumper proved that she was anything but that.

"Robin?" she asked, he turned his head to her. "You know what I am. You know what will happen to me if they find out". Her breath shook and she flexed her fingers and wrapped them back around the rail. "You'd have a lot to gain by telling them. So why haven't you?" He sighed.

"Because I'd rather not see a good person die".

Maria nodded. Robin slouched against the rail. Hands folded in front of him, shoulders hunched.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"What's your tattoo?"

"D'ya want to see it?"

She nodded.

Robin straightened up. He turned around and Maria watched as his hands appeared at the nape of his neck and tugged his tee-shirt over his head before dropping it to the floor.

A great black lion with scarlet eyes stared blindly at her.

Her eyebrows drew together and she reached out a hand to set it gently against his skin. His muscles went tight before he relaxed again.

A light breathy laugh escapes her when she smiled as she spoke. "That's amazing". He turned his head to her, watching her reaction.

"Why him though?".

This time, he turned around, Maria tried not to notice the defined abdominal or his perfectly chiselled chest.

"I feel like" his voice was rough and he spoke quietly, "that by having him with me, it's a reminder that no matter what I've done in the past, I'm still a good person."

His eyes were suddenly darker. Here stared at her intently before his attention dropped to her collar bone. He gently pushed aside the strap of her tank top and bra. His fingers traced the steed absently. "So you have her?" Robin watched her as she ducked her head down. "I feel like she's always been protecting me". He slipped his fingers under her chin, gently tilting it up.

"I'll always keep you safe".

And then he was kissing her. With arms around her waist, he gently lifted her, until she circled his hips with with her legs.

Cool stone met her skin when, somehow and she didn't know when, her tank top was on the floor and her back pressed into the wall.


	2. Into the Lion's Den

To say that Maria Merryweather had nerve was an understatement. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The girl made a spirited attempt to brake free of her captors, running towards the entrance of the great fortress, but always in vain.

She had evidently made an effort to blend in but even that was useless. Her black dress was enough to make her look the part of a De Noir. Her hair stuck out like a sore thumb. Dark auburn, flame-red, strawberry-blonde hair fell around her face.

She's a fool being here! Going to get herself killed if she carries on like this!

The voice in his head plays at his conscience, no matter how many times he tells himself that this is good, that she has all but handed herself over, he can't quite allow himself to want her dead. It seemed almost inconceivable, especially ever since she broke Danny's nose when the boy had made the mistake of groping at her breast in the clearing just two days ago.

"How kind of you to join us Moon Princess."

She only scowled.

And then, with an impressive effort, she yanked free her wrists and made a start to escape. His father only nodded to a man and within a few seconds, he returned with her, an arm around her waist and a knife to her throat.

Her hand moved behind her, to her spine. She withdrew it, hand clenched into a fist; knuckles up. Then she turned over her hand and unravelled her fingers. Nestled in her palm lay a tiny key. The key to the pearl casket.

His father smirked and plucked it from her hand. "Oh what is this?"

Sarcasm dripped from his tone. "Fuck you!" He glared at the young woman as his hand struck her, hard, across her face.

Her head snapped forwards again. Red faced she only scowled. "Well it's true isn't it. They're here aren't they?"

Dread pooled in Robin's stomach, but he continued to keep up the charade of enjoying the sight of her in a vulnerable state.

"You could be right girl. Yes the pearl casket is here and you have so very kindly brought us the key".

"Your ancestor stole them" she said.

Bad choice of words Maria! Ignoring the ring of her name inside his head, he only allowed himself to twist his mouth into a smirk. "My ancestor?" his father drawled. "Well perhaps, princess, I should introduce you".

Robin followed his father and the guard who roughly dragged the girl to a dais where the tombstone of his ancestor stood.

Roughly shoving the guard out of the way, he took hold of the young woman's arm. Again she gave an almighty effort to shake him off but with a hard jerk of her arm she went still and tense.

Her skinny arm was bony and for the first time did he consider just how fragile she may be. With a mocking flourish of his hand at Maria, Cour De Noir spoke.

"Maria Merryweather" he spat out her name like it was a bad taste on his tongue. Then he gestured to the tomb behind him. "Sir William! The very first Cour De Noir!" At this Robin pushed Maria into forced and mocking attempt at a bow.

Robin barely had time to pull her up as his father threw a small wooden box at the girl's feet. She fell back several steps.

The box lay open and she looked down before scowling at the older man. "You've hidden them you bastard" she screeched. Again he could only watch and keep a tightly hold on her arm as his father cracked his hand across her cheek. "They were never there, whore!"

Suddenly he was calm again. "But soon...the final moon will rise and the thieving Merryweathers will be punished".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shivering, not from the cold, Maria stumbled down the dark torchlit hallway. To her shame, a guard had dragged a knife down her dress and corset, leaving her in a thin gauzy shift, with thin straps on her shoulders and loose sleeves hanging around her arms.

The material did nothing to hide her figure. Robin did his best not to notice how tiny her waist was or the perfect curve of her breast. In an attempt to ignore the sinful thoughts in his head or the fact that he was becoming more and more attracted to her, he pushed her forwards. She stumbled forwards, then she turned around. "Leave me alone you arse". He chuckled. "You know, for someone in your current predicament I have to admire your spirit".

Crack!

She'd slapped him. He didn't blame her. His head turned slowly back toward her. Then he grabbed her shoulders and forced her along down the hall, shouting, "WITCH!" as he did so.

"Hey!"

"Lock her in"

He looked sharply at a guard at his post.

Maria stumbled as she was shoved into the cell. Landing on her hands and knees. Scrambling to her feet, Maria threw herself at the wrought iron gate, trying to budge it open. Then she stared at the boy. Begging him silently to just let her go home. He stared back. Then he turned and strode down the hall, his friends in tow.

"Guard Watch her! She's slippery."

There was no use. Maria knew it. I'm going to die!

Sinking to her knees she curled up on the cold stone floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're mad!" Danny hissed for the thousandth time. "You're utterly mad!"

"I can't just leave her" Robin said quietly. "You saw the way she looked at us".

"You mean the way she looked at you" Danny said, grinning. "Danny you know who she is to me. Who I am to was her. If the Cour were ever to find out..." Jonathan trailed off. Gripping his shoulder, Robin nodded.

"I know mate. I know. And nothing will happen to you or your sister I promise."

"You're serious aren't you?" Danny said softly. Jonathan nodded.

"She really is your sister?"

Jonathan nodded again.

"SHIT!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robin strode towards the cell in which Maria had been locked up in.

The closer he got to her cell, the deeper the growing pit in his stomach got.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

And then he saw it.

Blood. Blood staining her gauzy shift. Hair messed around her pale face and arms tightly curled around her frame. The watchman was nowhere in sight.

Robin could already guess what the man had done to her.

She's been raped.

Anger boiled his blood and his hands curled into fists. Already his promise to his friend had been in vain.

Picking the lock on the cell gate, he forced it open in one moment and in the next he was on his knees next to the girl.

Thanking God that she was still breathing, he slid one arm around her shoulders and gently lifted her.

"Hey" he whispered.

"Princess?"

"Can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened and then almost immediately, they widened and she struggled to push him away. Scrambling backwards as tears slid down her face, she started to sob. "Get away from me! Please stay away!"

Staying quiet, Robin slowly moved to stand and held out his hand. "It's alright. I'm never going to hurt you" he said softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She watched him, arms wrapped tightly round her skinny frame.

She nodded.

"That g...guard. H...he..." she trailed off and stared sobbing again. Robin sighed. "He raped you. Didn't he?"

Again, she only nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Still holding out his hands, Robin edged slowly towards her. "Please let me help you. Let me take you somewhere safe."

Slowly. Slowly. Slowly.

She slipped her hands into his.


	3. Breakeven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To understand the darker more heartaching theme of this chapter, you’ll need to listen to ‘Breakeven’ by The Script whilst you’re reading it.

_Jonathan,_

_For as long as I can remember, I wanted to follow in dad's footsteps, become a soldier in The British Army._

_So when I got accepted for recruitment I was ecstatic. Do you remember? I screamed the house down. And then I got a bit carried away, dyed my hair black and got a pixie cut_.

_Yikes._

_Not a good look if I recall._

_But considering that I wasn't all that girly, it's not really that surprising really was it? And being a ginger in Afghan heat is asking for trouble isn't it? So you may be wondering why I've taken a random trip down memory lane?_

_Just keep reading. Please._

_If you're reading this, it means they got me. They get us to write these letters from the grave. A final goodbye, if you get what I mean. Now I've never been good with words, but here goes._

_We both knew something like this might happen when I was deemed fit for service. But what I want you to know is that I love you. You were always there for me, especially after what happened to dad. You were always supporting me in my choices, even when I got together with your best friend_.

_Hah!_

_That reminds me. Can you do me a favour and give Robin a message?_

_Tell him I love him_. 

_Tell him I always have. Ever since he hit me in the head with that football in sixth form. And that I'm sorry we never got to have our big day. But I don't want him to give up on love, so if he does get the chance to meet that special lady again, tell him not to let go of it. I want you all to be happy, even if I can't be there with you._

_I know, I know, stupidly cheesy, even by my own standards, which is ironic considering I'm dead 'n' all._

_Sorry._

_Bit tasteless I know, but it is what it is._

_Now I'm not going to bull shit you, but we both knew what I was getting myself into when I applied for recruitment. That I knew it would be dangerous._

_To sum this up, I'll leave you with this_.

_Don't mourn me forever. Move on. Love and live, cause a bit of mischief where you can. I suppose what I'm asking you is that you just go on with life as if nothing has changed, just let me go._

_And if you ever find that when life is a little bit shitty, and it suddenly gets better, well, you can just think of it as me having a word with God, sorting it all out for you._

_You're the best brother a girl could ask for._

_Love forever,_

_Maria_

Jonathan re-read the letter for a third time. His fingers clenched into a fist and he hurled the crumpled letter at the wall. He turned to his best friend.

Robin was sat on the sofa, head in his hands. Danny stood with his back against the wall, arms folded and a solemn expression on his face. Max was crouched on the floor on his haunches, hands pressed together as if he were praying, fingertips pressed lightly to his chin.

Shaking his head he sat next to Robin and placed a hand on his shoulder. Robin shot to his feet and strode to the window.

Jonathan followed him.

"I'm sorry mate."

"I'm so sorry!"

"Christ! Why did you even let her join up?"

Jonathan glared and shoved his chest harshly.

"She was my sister! I loved her too you know!"

Robin shoved him back. "And we were going to get married!" he cried exasperatedly.

"Stop it, both of you!" Danny burst out. He shook his head and strode to the middle of the room. "We all miss her".

Robin looked down at his feet. Slowly, he sank to his knees. His fingers plucked at the silver ring on the leather chord around his neck. He took it off carefully. Holding it in the palm of his hand he shook his head sadly. "I gave her this the day I asked her to marry me" he said softly.

"It was Loveday's!"

The silver ring encrusted with amethyst and emeralds glittered, their light reflecting prettily against his palm.

Jonathan shook his head and kicked off at a wall angrily. "Bloody terrorist psychos" he hissed.

• • • • • • • • •

The funeral took place on grey and rainy day. The rain came down in heavy sheets, soaking everything it could touch. Robin stood with Jonathan at the front of the small church.

Danny and Max stood in the row behind them. All four of them dressed in black suits, as customary to any funeral.

Soon, the casket was brought in, carried by six men from Two-Section platoon, all dressed in the Army Parade uniform Robin, Jonathan, Danny and Max had grown accustomed to.

Draped over Maria's casket was a large Union-Jack flag, as tradition for any fallen service man or woman.

"Mister De Noir" Robin turned to face Maria's commanding officer. A man both he and Jonathan had met several times before.

"Captain James" he greeted. The man nodded, shaking his hand and then Jonathan's. "I thought you'd like to say a few words?"

"No!"

Captain James frowned. "Surely-" Robin shook his head again. "No", he looked to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That honour goes to Jonathan. Maria's brother."

Captain James nodded his understanding. "Of course".

"When you're ready mister Merryweather."

Jonathan gave Robin a half smile before stepping up at the podium on the altar.

"Maria Merryweather" Jonathan sucked in a breath before continuing. "Our girl. My sister. She's the bravest person I've ever known".

Yes. Robin agreed.

So brave.

**A:N Soooooo . . . Yeah I decide to re-write this because it's been bugging me.**

**Anyone who watches BBC's Our Girl, will have noticed that I quoted Elvis's letter to Georgie in season four. And Captain James has made a cameo. (I know I'm going to hell, but what can I say?)**

**But anyway, I really hope you all liked it.**

**So plz let me know what you thought in the comments and please, please, please leave kudos.**


	4. Songbird - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the C.B Strike series on BBC and written by J.K Rowling. Please listen to the theme song for this.

"Time of death?" Constable Murray asked, staring grimly at the dead woman's body.

"Hard to say, it'll take some time before we can find that out" Maria replied, placing her hand on her thigh and rising from the crouch she had been in. Robin watched from his position against the wall. "But what about the method?"

Robin rolled his eyes. He could predict exactly what Maria was about to say.

"It's bloody obvious".

Crouching again and gesturing with the tip a blunt pencil from the inside of her coat, Maria pointed to marks on the cadaver's neck. "Choked. Definitely by hand. Looks like her killer tried to erase any trace of them being there by wearing leather gloves" she said.

David Murray frowned. "Why would they do that? Surely they'd know that'd make fuck all of a difference, leather just makes criminals sweat, which means we'll be able to find fingerprints in her autopsy". 

Maria grimaced, thirteen years years in the British Army didn't make a difference to the sickly feeling of seeing a corpse, regardless of how in-bloody the death was.

• • • • • • •.

 _She'd signed up for the British Army at the age of seventeen, dropping out of Sixth-Form, and after her twenty-fifth birthday, moved to SIB, five years later she was medically discharged, the result of a particularly nasty incident with an insurgent wearing a suicide belt, her left arm had been blown off leaving her with a stump just above her elbow, and she'd lost the hearing in her right ear._  
  
Her unit had been sent to investigate and disbanded child prostitution and trafficking ring in Helmand Afghan.

_Three of the newest recruits had absorbed full impact of the blast and died instantly. Her commanding officer lost both legs and one eye._

_There'd done physio together in their return home and in her lowest moment when she'd lost all hope and will ya. carry on, he'd nudged her with the stump of his right knee, and jokingly he'd said; "tell ya what, you give me your left leg and in return", here he'd paused for dramatic effect, "I'll give you my left arm"._

_The look on his face was so stony and serious that for a split-second she'd thought he was being serious. It wasn't until he grinned that she understood his dark humoured joke about their disabilities._

• • • • • • •

"Why was she killed d'ya think?"

Robin shrugged as he looked to his partner.

Her strawberry-blonde and auburn curls had been pulled up into a ponytail at the back of her head. She wore a dark red coat that concealed her from the cold, from neck to mid-thigh, it was cut off and sealed at the stump of her left arm, she wore dark blue jeans and black boots to match.

Robin on the other hand wore all black, head to toe.

"Well, she was very beautiful, very famous and very rich, easy to to make yourself enemies, even if you're not trying" he told her,

"which reminds me" Maria said, stuffing her remaining hand into her pocket and withdrawing it only a second later. "I've been given CCTV footage of what happened that night before she was killed" Robin frowned, "by who?exactly?" he asked, somewhat suspicious, Maria lifted her shoulder and grinned, "an old friend. Hopefully it'll give us a lead" she said, holding up a small USB stick.

"I'll make a few calls this afternoon, see if I can get in contact with any of her friends" he said.

Maria nodded, pocketing the USB stick again. "Good, let me know as soon as you find anything, I'd like us both to interview them".

The pair continued on around the corner on to Trafalgar Square, great black lions on marble pedestals watched them unseeingly, surrounding the large columns where the statute of Admiral Nelson glowered down at London civilians, stone lips set in hard line.

Maria glanced up at the stone man, her brow somewhat furrowed.

"What's that face for?" Robin asked, Maria turned her head to him.

A lit cigarette hung between his lips as he grinned down at her. "He used to really freak me out when I was little. I remember coming here with my dad, and I always got scared of him no matter how high up he was". Blowing out a ring of smoke Robin shrugged, "he's a short stone tosser on a tall pillar, seems fucking entitled if you ask me".

Looking up at her companion, Maria huffed, reached up and yanked the cigarette from between Robin's lips and threw it into a puddle.

"Oi!"

"I'm doing you a favour, you should be thanking me" she told him, "didn't you read the packet?"

"Smoking kills" she assumed a mocking low and ominous voice. "Kind of ironic to put that on a fag packet".

Maria scowled.

**(AN: just to clear something up, in the UK cigarettes are often referred to as 'fags' - I will never condone the insult the word is affiliated with)**

"Alright alright you've made your point" he chuckled bumping her shoulder lightly. A flash of bright light from behind dark clouds, followed by a loud clap of thunder compelled the two detectives to look towards the sky.

"Shit!"

• • • • • • •

"Cheers", Maria gratefully accepted the beer bottle Robin handed to her. "Well that came out of fucking-nowhere" he chuckled, nodded to the torrential downpour through the foggy window of the pub. Maria nodded, taking a swig from the glass bottle. "Typical English weather. Sunny one minute, stormy the next" she smirked. "Well it could be worse" Robin replied evenly. He lifted his hand to examine his watch, "Looks like those calls will have to wait."

The Ship and Shovel pub was a favourite of Maria's. Partially because it was where her father had taken her when she'd turned eighteen. She'd woken up the next morning with the mother of all hangovers. Robin had laughed in er face when she'd told him and still wouldn't let her live it down.

The pub was warm and had the faint scent of cigar smoke, it was usually a quiet place on a Wednesday afternoon, but it was football season and every ten to fifteen minutes a roar of cheers or chorus of groans could be heard whenever a goal was scored or a red card was issued.

"Do it tomorrow, given what we saw today I think we need a break" Maria said, shuddering at the memory of the dead woman's body.

• • • • • • • •

It was quarter to three in the morning when the doorbell rang. Maria groaned and rolled over. Charlie was still asleep in his cot, Maria smiled lightly at her nephew, his backside was stuck into the air. He'd always had a funny way of sleeping. She slipped out of bed, kissed his cheek before pulling on a tank top and a pair of leggings.

Not bothering with her prosthetic arm, a habit she'd gotten into after deciding that the faffing really wasn't worth the effort, she tiptoed quietly down the stairs. Picking up the door keys which sat in a small ceramic dish on the shelf next the stairs she unlocked the front door. Robin stood in front her, soaking wet and grim faced. 

"Do you have any idea what time it is you countryside prannet?" she scolded quietly as she stood aside to let him in. He grimaced. "Sorry. But I was looking through the footage and I found something interesting. You really need to see this. We may just have a lead."

Ten minutes later she was next to himat the kitchen table watching the CCTV footage on her laptop.

"The frames are different between 3:54 and 3:55" Robin said, Maria shrugged, pulling up her

left leg to her chest, holding close to her with her arm, "what's you're point? That's how security footage works".

Robin shook his head. "No, look. In this frame his jeans are black. And here. . . look" Robin pointed the man's left lower arm. She squinted, but then she saw it. The white splattering on paint on the hem of his jeans. She frowned and squinted at the screen, "zoom in on his hand", she spoke softly.

A tattoo, shaped like a raven. With the letters A J C. "Robin, I think we have a suspect".


	5. Not a Just a London Lady

Robin flipped the knife in his hand. He stared morosely at the weapon as he caught it skilfully in his palm again. He flipped it again and caught it deftly by the blade.

Five years.

Five years since he last saw that shock of red hair. When she had left Moonacre valley, the young girl he'd known had been nought more than a gangly adolescent with a temper to rival that of his father's. Yes. Maria Merryweather is quite something.

Without so much as a warning, a loud crash and a clang broke his reverie.

"Robin!" It was Danny.

He grinned.

"The trap!"

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

The young men ran among the trees towards the trap. Robin could practically smell the adrenaline running through his veins. He grinned again.

As he neared the main road running through the forest, he could make out the sounds of panicked hoof beats. He rounded the bend in the road, expecting to see a nobleman strung up, a rope around his middle.

That was not what he saw.

Red hair, and a dark and steely gaze. "Princess?"

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

Maria Merryweather was angry.

Very angry.

Being ambushed was bad enough, but being suspended by rope whilst being ambushed was worse. Far worse.

"Damn you Robin De Noir!"

She scowled at him, ignoring the how her heart clenched at the sight of him, or the look of surprise on his face.

Maria winced as the rope slid from her body and dropped to the ground at her feet. "Sorry about that Princess" Danny said, briefly squeezing her shoulder and smiling apologetically.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this you boar faced arse" she grumbled. Robin's eyebrows flew to his hairline and a smirk tugged on his mouth. "Well hello to you too Princess", he drawled. "It's good to see you, how have been since I last saw you?" sarcasm dripped from his tone. The red headed girl glared at him before turning to her still panicked Mount, running the backs of her fingers down the horse's nose to calm him.

In that moment, Robin took time to study the young woman. She'd certainly grown into herself, into a beautiful young woman. Ordinarily he'd laugh off such thoughts, but watching the young Merryweather heiress now . . . well, he couldn't deny it. She was indeed very beautiful. Her once waist length red hair had been cut to just below her chin. Her once childish features were no longer present. Her eyes were deep-set, fine cheekbones, dimpled cheeks and pink full lips. Yes. She'd certainly grown into the princess she was born to be. And then he noticed it. Whilst her younger self opted for dresses, her older self seemed to be the complete opposite.

"Maria?" Robin barely had time to look behind him before Jonathan sidled past him and swept his half-sister into a hug, lifting her off the ground. "Jonathan!" Maria cried, beaming at her brother.

"It's so good to see you!"

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

"Ah Maria my dear! Welcome home" William De Noir greeted the young woman warmly, engulfing her in a fatherly embrace. Since the death of his daughter and Sir Benjamin, the young girl had become like a daughter to him. When the question of who would take care of her education expenses, he insisted that she allow him to see the costs despite her protestations. As the girl's legal guardian after Sir Benjamin, he felt more than just duty bound, he felt morally responsible.

"Sir William. I'm so happy to be back. It's very kind of you to allow me into you home" Maria said as the older man released her. "Sweet girl how many times must I remind you to just call me William. You are my ward. My family. I'd have it no other way". The girl smiled and hugged him once more.

Robin watched the scene in the hall of him home unfold from the balcony. His heart clenched as he watched Maria cry into his father's arms. The last five years had been too difficult for her. He hated himself that he wasn't there for her as much as he should have been.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Three days later...

Maria lifted the pistol to level with her shoulder. She took a breath.

One

Two

Three

Four 

She pulled her trigger and the lead bullet shot through the air and embed itself into the bullseye.

"What sort of princess learns how to do that?"

Maria almost jumped. She turned to glare at Robin. The man in question stood with his arms folded and he looked somewhat impressed, if not surprised.

"My father was a brigadier in her majesty's army Robin. Do you honestly think he'd leave his daughter alone for months on end with no knowledge on how to defend herself?" she glared at him.

"Sorry Princess but it seems that even after all this time you still continue to surprise me".

"I'm not just a London Lady!"

With a final glare, Maria brushed past him, setting the pistol on table behind him.

He turned and watched her leave the yard, catching sight of the young woman's brother stop her in her tracks and briefly embrace her.


End file.
